Laguna Beach Land-Slide, June 20, 2005

“The people who live in Laguna Beach have had to deal with hill slides and fires over the years,” noted ICOE’s Laura Arnone.  “Yet in spite of this, there are still many people who do not have home inventories or pictures of their homes’ contents to use as they are trying to work with insurance companies for recovery.”

Alpha Structural, Inc. is shaking off the amnesia fairy this rainy season of 2011 and welcomes all Los Angeles homeowners to contact us regarding any questions concerning their hillside stability, land-slide potential, etc.

Contact Camelia – Office Manager, Alpha Structural, Inc. at 323-258-5482. Office Hours: Monday – Friday, 9am – 6pm.

The US West Coast, Japan, Alaska, Canada, Phillippines all comprise the northern part of the Pacific Rim. The Pacific Rim also continues all the way down to lower South America as well. It has extremely heavy inter-related seismic activity spanning around the entire rim that has caused severe damage to all countries that are connected by this rim. All these countries that are connected have been experiencing earthquake and tsunami threats and actual disasters for centuries.

In 1968, an 8.2 magnitude earthquake rocked Japan and destroyed hundreds of homes. The tsunami destroyed parts of the coast line, sank ships and damaged coastal homes. This was the earthquake of Honshu Island Near Misawa, Japan. Three years later in 1971, the 6.6 magnitude Sylmar earthquake sent a shockwave through the San Fernando Valley. It destroyed homes, hospitals and freeways. The damage was estimated at over $500 million dollars and took almost two years to repair the damage.

In January 1994, the 6.4 magnitude earthquake devastated the San Fernando Valley. The “Northridge Quake” destroyed thousands of home, destroyed freeways and damaged many bridges. The estimated cost of building and road damage was over $20 billion dollars – a record for California. Coincidentally, almost exactly a year later, a 6.8 magnitude earthquake which claimed the lives of over 6,000 happened on Awaji Island of Japan. It destroyed thousands of homes, bridges, freeways and large buildings. It caused approximately ten trillion yen in damage, which comes out to approximately $102.5 billion (US) in damage.

In September 1999, a 7.6 magnitude quake jolted Taiwan. This quake caused more landslides and structural failures than usual and ended up destroying thousands of homes and injuring over 10,000. The quake was a disaster. Oddly enough almost exactly one month later, a large 7.1 magnitude earthquake shook Southern California in the Mojave Desert. The quake was felt in the Los Angeles County, Las Vegas and Carson City. Although the casualty rate was very low on this quake, you can see a pattern of quakes between Eastern Asia’s Coast and the West Coast. The Pacific Rim has constant seismic activity and it’s quakes that span across an entire ocean have a very important correlation with each other. It is no coincidence that so many quakes happen right after another even when they are an entire ocean apart.

The common denominator that resulted in the extensive damage in both Southern California, Japan and Taiwan is that the structures and homes do not have earthquake retrofitting or foundation bolting. That is why so many homes crumble and cave in on themselves, why bridges fall and walls topple over. That is why hillside homes fall down the hills they are built on and it is why foundations crumble, crack and fail.

It is imperative that Southern California home owners have a qualified hillside and foundation specialist (like Alpha Structural’s team) inspect your home to ensure your foundation is in top shape. The average earthquake retrofit job is around $5,000 – a very small investment considering the valuable trade-off of protecting your home and primary investment.

“Tourje: A knack for moving mountains

By: Bill Rams

While the recent rains and subsequent floods have created another financially crippling winter for weather-beaten Los Angeles, it has created an enormous amount of business for Eagle Rock’s Dave Tourje.

Tourje owns and operates Alpha Structural, a retrofitting company which specializes in saving homes and buildings damaged in natural disasters.

On a recent job in Santa Monica, his team moved an entire hillside to save three homes that were all in danger of sliding. But when the heavy rain started three weeks ago, residents worried that their homes would be damaged.

Because Tourje kept the hill intact by erecting a number of concrete and steel columns, the homes and the hills survived the storm.

Tourje offers rain-damage saving tips to residents: “It is important that homeowners be aware of their roof drainage and their overall site drainage to make sure that the areas adjacent to hillsides and foundations do not become over-saturated with water. Water intrusion and earthquakes are the main causes of hillside and foundation failure,” he said.

While Tourje has experience saving homes from mud slides, and other rain related problems, he saw his business more that double last year after the Northridge earthquake.

Tourje said recent reports about the possibility of huge earthquakes scare him.

“Many homes built on hillsides prior to the recent hillside foundation codes, particularly built prior to 1965, possess foundations that are substandard per today’s codes and thus may be in jeopardy,” he said.

Tourje was born in Glendale and grew up in Eagle Rock.

He has repaired home in Los Angeles, Sherman Oaks, Encino, Studio City, Woodland Hills, Agoura Hills, Glendale, Pomona, Chino, Fullerton, La Habra, Los Feliz and Silver Lake.”

Here are some recommendations that Alpha Structural, Inc. suggests when making the decision regarding which contractor should perform “the work” on your home or property:

-DOES THE CONTRACTOR HAVE AN ACTIVE LICENSE (CSLB)? Find out by clicking this link which will take you straight to the CSLB website: https://www2.cslb.ca.gov/OnlineServices/CheckLicenseII/CheckLicense.aspx. Before hiring a contractor or signing a contract, the CSLB recommends that you read their “Hiring a Contractor” page. Click here to be taken straight to this page: http://www.cslb.ca.gov/Consumers/HireAContractor/, http://www.cslb.ca.gov/Consumers/HireAContractor/. (ALPHA Structural, Inc. License # 663409. A – General Engineering Contractor, B – General Building Contractor, C-8 – Foundation Contractor, HIC – Home Improvement Contractor).

-CHECK MULTIPLE SOURCES FOR REVIEWS! We recommend the following websites for you to review Alpha Structural, Inc. or any other contractor: www.angieslist.com (very highly recommended), www.yelp.com, www.manta.com, www.insiderpages.com and www.citysearch.com. Real reviews from real customers are key in making your decision. These reviews let you know from actual customers the level of customer service, professionalism and overall quality the contractor provides. Angie’s List (www.angieslist.com) is by far the best place to go to read reviews about any contractor, and to post a review after your experience with the contractor. Please log-in to Angie’s List and search for Alpha Structural, Inc. to read our reviews.

-CHOOSE A CONTRACTOR FROM YOUR CITY. Some contractors compete for contracts in other counties and even states. Avoid these.

-WORKER’S COMPENSATION. Verify the contractor’s Worker’s Compensation insurance. Ask to see a copy of the “certificate of insurance”. In California, if a contractor has employees, they are required to carry Worker’S Compensation insurance. (Alpha Structural, Inc. – State Compensation Insurance Fund, Policy # 0001233-2010).

-IS THE CONTRACTOR BONDED? California licensed contractors are required to have a contractor’s license bond. Ensure that any licensed contractor is also bonded – a legal requirement. (Alpha Structural, Inc. Contractor’s License Bond – American Contractors Indemnity Company #22213).

-Ensure your foundation repair company doesn’t use scare tactics to get you to purchase their services. If the contractor does a full inspection and is interactive in his inspection, that is a good sign. Ask questions, get answers and feel safe with your contractor.

We hope to have provided you with some helpful or useful tips concerning choosing the right contractor for your project! If you have any questions at all, please do not hesitate to call us at (323) 258-5482. Hours of Operation: Monday – Friday, 9:00am – 6:00pm PST.

With this status, unfortunately comes the fact that Malibu, CA. is commonly known for it’s landslides and foundation problems. The city of Malibu, situated along the coast of California, has many oceanfront homes which in fact need foundation repair. This is due mainly to the fact that these oceanfront homes are on what we call “Stilt” foundation systems – an out-dated form of foundation construction. This means that a portion of the home is set into the hillside or cliff itself, and the other portion of the home rests on posts which extend into the sand or earth.

Most homes in Malibu are either on or near the beach or in the hillside areas of Malibu. When it rains, homes in Malibu become susceptible to foundation or drainage issues for a few reasons. For beachfront homes, the tide rises and falls, storms hit, and could possibly degrade the foundation’s integrity or corrupt the “stilt” foundation system if your foundation system is not reinforced or properly and competently built or repaired. Always routinely inspect your own property when you can. Signs of corruption on beachfront homes are larger cracks on your foundation or interior walls indicating your home is sinking.

In the hillside areas, the rain can saturate the hillside your home rests on or create seepage around your home’s foundation system. If your home has a poor drainage system, this increases the risk of mudslides and hillside damage, putting your home at risk. Signs to watch out for are larger cracks in your foundation, cracks in the hillside itself, cracks in your interior walls, doors sticking, etc.

Do not hesitate to call Alpha Structural, Inc. to examine your home if you have doubts or need a second opinion. Hillside and foundation damage are common problems in Malibu. Do not neglect them!

For a homeowner there are a few things one should look out for when the rains begin; check your basement for excess water or flooding, walk around the footprint of the home and look for puddles surrounding the home close to the foundation which are not saturating into the earth below. As basements are “below grade”, meaning they’re located below the surface of the earth, it should become clear when basement repair or waterproofing is needed due to the saturated earth seeping through the walls or up from the floor.

Example of a Basement Flood

If you have a hillside home, check your slope and see if the earth is slipping or sliding down-slope (also known as a mudslide), and also check any retaining walls for possible leaning due to heavy, saturated earth.

Small Los Angeles Mudslide

Large Los Angeles Mudslide

Sometimes when a retaining wall is coming to the end of its life, it can collapse or “fail” because the earth it is holding up puts too much pressure on the wall with rainwater. Usually that only happens with unstable retaining walls or a wall which was not built properly to begin with. This may indicate potential retaining wall repair or replacement.

It is always wise for a homeowner to be aware of his/her property perimeter and what is going on with it. If you think you’re experiencing one or more of the indications above, please call Alpha Structural, Inc. at (323) 258 – 5482 and request an inspection or assessment of the area(s) of concern.

A simple visit from one of our hillside and drainage experts or foundation and basement specialists, whom are seasoned and experienced in diagnosing hillside failure, foundation damage, retaining wall repair, drainage issues, etc., can discern whether there are concerns to be worried about or not.

Thank you for visiting Alpha Structural, Inc. online at:  www.alphastructural.com

Foundation damage and cracks are a common enough occurrence. What caused the foundation cracks and what has happened since that crack appeared is what we, at Alpha Structural, Inc. are interested in and repair.

As concrete does not bend, it will likely crack when under stress. If that is all and no additional movement occurs in the foundation or house, there may not be anything to worry about. If however, there is foundation settlement in the home, floors are not level or are sloping, there are larger cracks in the walls (interior or exterior) or in the concrete, worsening conditions over time, etc., are indications of foundation movement or foundation rotation. This occurs often on flat lots due to poor soil support and also occurs commonly on hillside homes. On hillside homes this may become severe and possibly dangerous if not remedied.

Older homes sometimes experience damage in the foundations due to existing older or deteriorating concrete. This condition has its own set of issues; cracked foundations are only a part of it. Please feel free to call one of our foundation experts at Alpha Structural, Inc. at (323) 258 – 5482 anytime for advice concerning your foundation, or the foundation of a home you’re interested in purchasing.

Newer homes are not likely to have much to repair with regards to the foundation. However, with newer hillside homes there will often be an older, cracked or leaning retaining wall existing on the property which could use a little TLC from one of our retaining wall experts.

Or

Another Example of a Leaning Retaining Wall

A simple visit from one of our hillside and foundation experts or retaining wall specialists, whom are seasoned and experienced in diagnosing hillside failure, foundation damage, retaining wall repair, etc., can discern whether there are concerns to be worried about or not.

Please find below, a list of common signs or indications of foundation damage:

-          Cracks in the interior walls. Look at all corners of windows, doors, and at joints where walls meet walls, ceilings or doors for signs that they are pulling away from each other.

-          Outside of the house, check the bottom corners of the windows and doors. Are these separating or pulling away from the structure?

-          Check the exposed concrete at the base of the house for cracks. If there are only small cracks, they may be non-structural, but they may also be the first indication of trouble to come. Call Alpha Structural, Inc. and schedule an appointment to have a foundation repair expert evaluate the cracks and determine whether or not your foundation cracks are a serious matter.

Thank you for visiting Alpha Structural, Inc. online at:  www.alphastructural.com